


Messhisei Etcetera

by carsinoska



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
Genre: Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2018-08-27
Packaged: 2018-09-12 12:10:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 6,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9071068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carsinoska/pseuds/carsinoska
Summary: An assortment of short fics about the Four Stars of Ruin (with a strong bias for Paradox). Chapter 1 is an index page.12) A ten year old Johnny tries to find a birthday present for his little sister Misaki.





	1. Chapter Index

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I thought an index page would be handy.

**Index Page**

Chapter 2: without reason  
[apopara] Hand holding.

Chapter 3: departure  
Paradox and some final words with Z-one.

Chapter 4: mors certa, hora incerta  
[parazone] Zone after robo Para is defeated.

Chapter 5: the distant stranger  
Bruno keeps bumping into a strangely familiar man.

Chapter 6: cold  
Z-one catches a cold.

Chapter 7: babysitting  
Paradox has to look after Luciano for the day.

Chapter 8: yliaster’s day off  
Antinomy has had enough of research.

Chapter 9: sweets lala sweets  
[apopara] Paradox thinks that Aporia spends too much money on sweets so he decides to make him a cake. Only because it’s cheaper. not for any other reason. That would be silly. Modern AU.

Chapter 10: fear  
Paradox has a certain irrational fear and asks for Aporia’s help.

Chapter 11: rainy day  
[tinopara] It’s pouring outside but Paradox forgets his umbrella, so he stays at Antinomy’s place instead. College AU.

Chapter 12: birthday  
A ten year old Johnny tries to find a birthday present for his little sister Misaki.


	2. without reason

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> apopara + hand holding (reposted from my tumblr)

“Paradox, could I see your hand for a second?” Aporia asked.

“Hm? Sure,” he said, not thinking much of it.

Aporia smiled and held Paradox’s hand. “It’s cold, like I thought.”

“Like you thought?” Why would he think that? Actually, was he still holding his hand? “Aporia… You’re still holding my hand.”

“That’s the point,” Aporia said, though at least he had the decency to sound a little apologetic.

Embarrassed, Paradox tried to pull back his hand on instinct, but Aporia’s hold was vice-like. “You don’t need to keep holding,” he said, though truthfully he didn’t mind.

Aporia deflated a little. “Yes, you’re right…” he replied and reluctantly let go.

“It’s- it’s not that bad,” Paradox said, trying to look at anything but Aporia. “I was just a little surprised.”

Aporia blinked, took a moment to understand what Paradox meant, then smiled that blinding smile of his. “Then, it’s all right if I…”

“That’s what I said, isn’t it?” Paradox said irritably.

If Aporia only held his right hand, then he could still use his left hand to work. Paradox let out a defeated sigh, but the redness of his face and the smile he was trying to hide betrayed him.


	3. departure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> paradox and some final words with z-one

“Are you ready to leave, Paradox?” Z-one asked.

“Yes, I’ll be leaving shortly,” he replied.

Paradox would be the first to leave, something they decided long ago. If he was able to change the future by tampering with the past, then the rest of them wouldn’t have to take action. It was the most effective plan.

“I hope to see you soon,” Paradox said, though whether that meant in this timeline or another, he left unclear. Once he traveled in time, there was no way to ensure that he could return to his original time after all. Perhaps it would be an incredibly similar timeline, but different nonetheless. No matter, because he truly did wish to see Z-one again. Hopefully, in a world free of suffering and despair.

“Goodbye, Paradox,” Z-one replied, but something about his voice sounded final, like he already knew how things would play out.

Paradox ignored it. What good would it do to give up before he’d even started? Besides, if he accepted that undeniable truth, then everything would have been for naught. He had absolute faith in Z-one. Surely there was a reason behind his seemingly impossible mission. If he started doubting his dearest friend now, just what could he believe in? Paying no mind to the burning in his heart and the tears in his eyes, Paradox steeled himself towards the future.


	4. mors certa, hora incerta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> parazone: zone after robo paradox is defeated (reposted from my tumblr)

Something stopped in the corner of his eye. Z-one had numerous screens pulled up so he could observe what was happening outside the Ark Cradle. They weren’t video feeds per say, but more like the vitals of the each of the androids. For the most part, he was looking at the Three Emperors’ data since they were the most likely to cause trouble. But there wasn’t anything odd about their screens and there was nothing wrong with Antinomy’s either. And then there was Paradox…

Yes, something had definitely stopped. Paradox wasn’t relaying any more signals.

His heart clenched in dread for a second before he remembered proper sense. It was just a robot. Just a copy. Paradox and all of his other friends were already gone, so there was no need to grieve once again.

It was a pity that the world remained largely unchanged by Paradox’s actions, but they were both very much aware how useless his mission would be. Rather, his main purpose in assigning it to Paradox was something a little more contrived, and he wasn’t entirely sure if the other was aware of it. No matter. He was gone.

Death was inevitable, Z-one repeated in his mind. Death was inevitable. (And yet his treacherous heart reminded him of the long nights working with Paradox, the secret smiles passed between them.)


	5. the distant stranger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> bruno keeps bumping into a strangely familiar man

The first time Bruno sees him is near the cafe that Jack likes so much. Something about the man’s appearance draws the attention of others to him, perhaps because of his strange sense of fashion? There are certainly some odd… gold things hanging from the man’s sleeveless shirt. Bruno is actually there to drag Jack back to garage, so he can, quote Crow, “stop wasting money on overpriced garbage and be helpful for once”. He sees Jack out of the corner of his eye, but he can’t help but stare at the stranger. Suddenly, the other man turns his head towards Bruno, piercing green eyes meeting his own and narrowing in annoyance. Embarrassed, Bruno quickly averts his eyes and walks up to Jack. He feels the other’s gaze on him as he leaves.

The second time Bruno sees him is at the library. Nowadays, most everything is available online. Media is conveniently accessible at the click of a button, so the library is really just a relic of the past for those who don’t want to move on. Bruno personally finds it easier to find recipes in physical books rather than online, despite Crow claiming the opposite. Well, Crow is the one who makes him and Yusei take a break from working on their program, so he figures he might as well look at some books to think of something new to make for supper. Yet, there is that mysterious man again, looking at cooking books with a reminiscent expression on his face. For some reason, Bruno expects him to be looking at the research materials rather than the cooking books, but he doesn’t judge. He hopes that the other doesn’t remember him from the other day. The two of them browse the shelves in silence. In fact, he’s not even sure if the man notices that he’s there. He seems lost in his own little world. But when Bruno looks back, he’s gone.

By the third time, Bruno isn’t sure what to think. The City is so densely populated that it should be impossible, yet there he is, in the card shop. There are many people in the store, as always, but his gaze is immediately drawn to the man with the long hair. He doesn’t frequent the store often because he doesn’t duel much, but he’s had a terrible streak of losses against Yusei, so he wants to win at least once. It’s strange that one of the few times he’s out shopping for cards, he sees the odd man as well. He can’t even say that the other is following him, because it’s always Bruno that arrives after him. Something about him feels familiar, but in a different way than Yusei. He can’t quite place the thought though, so he blames it on his amnesia.

 

He remembers everything, far, far too late. They’re already on the Ark Cradle and Bruno- no, Antinomy, is with Yusei in one of the rooms housing the planetary gears. The man he saw before was Paradox. What is he doing in this timeline? He regrets not talking to him earlier. But he has to win against Yusei now. If all goes well (he still isn’t sure what ‘well’ means), he will see Paradox again. He’ll see Z-one and Aporia, and everything will be fine, he tries to tell himself.


	6. cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> z-one catches a cold

“Achoo!”

Antinomy and Paradox looked at each other. It wasn’t either of them. Then it must have been….

“Achoo!” ...Z-one.

“Are you alright?” Antinomy asked him.

“My apologies. It seems that I have caught a cold,” Z-one said, sniffling. Leave it to Z-one to apologize for catching a cold.

“Why are you saying sorry? No, what matters more is that you get better soon,” Antinomy said. “Now put away that research and get some rest.”

“Antinomy’s right. The research can wait. If your condition were to worsen…” Paradox trailed off.

“It’s not that serious, you two. I’m-” Z-one interrupted himself with a sneeze. “...just fine.”

“Do I need to carry you…” Antinomy threatened.

“I’m fine! Really!” he said, taking a step back.

“Ha ha, nice try. Okay, up you go.” With that, Antinomy lifted Z-one over his shoulder. He was a little heavy, what with the metal prosthetics, but it wasn’t anything Antinomy couldn’t handle.

“Antinomy… Please put me down.”

“Only if you promise that you won’t run away,” Antinomy said.

“And even then,” Paradox added, “he still might try to go back to work.” Antinomy hummed in acknowledgment.

Z-one sighed in resignation and let Antinomy carry him to bed. Paradox left them, saying that he would bring over some water.

“I really don’t need you two fussing over me like this. I can take care of myself,” Z-one said, sitting on his bed.

“Yeah, just like that time you didn’t eat the whole day, right?” Antinomy retorted.

“That was only once.”

“Yeah, ‘once’,” Antinomy repeated.

“It was in fact four times,” Paradox chimed in, holding a glass and a pitcher of water, as promised. “Or at least as far as I know.”

“You’re not much one to talk,” Z-one replied.

Paradox cleared his throat. “That’s besides the point. Regardless, you _will_ stay in bed.”

“We’ll take care of everything, so don’t worry. Get some rest and get better soon!” Antinomy said.

Hesitantly, he said, “Alright, I’ll try my best,” sinking into the bed slightly. Then, he jolted up, saying, “But don’t forget to analyze the data from the simulator. And please check on Moment reactor today, Antinomy. Oh! And make sure that everything is fine in the greenhouse-”

“Yes, yes,” Paradox said, pulling the blanket over Z-one. “Don’t worry about that. We’ll come back with soup and medicine later.”

Z-one relaxed in bed once more and closed his eyes. Antinomy smiled. He knew how much Z-one hated sitting around, but they couldn’t let Z-one’s condition get any worse. Rest was the best option.

“Sweet dreams, Z-one,” he said, and turned off the lights.


	7. babysitting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> paradox has to look after luciano for the day

“Waiting around is so boring!” Luciano whined. “When are we finally going to make a move?!”

“Z-one is still working out the finer details in the time traveling devices. We have to make sure it’s safe,” Paradox replied. “It shouldn’t be much longer now.” He wasn’t sure how, but the responsibility of looking after the youngest member of Yliaster fell on him that day. 

“That doesn’t make it any less boring! I wish there was actually something to do around here. Placido’s not even here for me to bother.”

Paradox shook his head. Of course he knew that. Otherwise, Placido would be looking after Luciano, rather than him. “I’m sure you can find something to do here,” he said. He just wanted to do his research in peace. Not to mention that he didn’t like to spend time with the Three Emperors. Even though Z-one had told him and Antinomy that they were parts of Aporia, he could barely see the similarities between them and his old friend. Being around them felt strange and made him miss the Aporia that he knew.

“Paradox, _you_ play with me!” Luciano said, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“...” He wasn’t particularly busy, but it would be nice if he could finish analyzing the data from the latest simulation he just ran. However, looking after Luciano did technically imply that he had to play with him, so Paradox reluctantly followed Luciano to wherever it was that he planned to go.

 

Apparently, what Luciano meant by “playing” was not dueling, like what Paradox had assumed, but rather, hair styling. Why, Paradox could not fathom for the life of him. Luciano didn’t seem to be that kind of person, as far as he knew. He always thought that Luciano was somewhat bratty and had a strange sadistic streak. Nonetheless, he’d rather indulge the younger member instead of hearing him whine again.

“So what exactly did you have in mind anyways?” Paradox asked, combing his hair.

“It doesn’t matter. Something nice. Like a braid,” Luciano replied.

Honestly, he hadn’t done anything of the sort in a long time, but he tried his best. Though it was a little messy, Paradox finished tying his hair into a simple side braid.

“Is that alright?”

“Yeah, it’s good. Better than Placido, at least. Now, you sit there,” Luciano said.

Paradox wasn’t sure what Luciano was planning, but sat down in front of the vanity anyways. When he felt small hands in his hair, he was honestly a little surprised, even though in hindsight, it was somewhat obvious.

“What? I’m returning the favour,” Luciano said nonchalantly.

“It’s- It’s fine. Never mind,” Paradox said.

It was a little embarrassing that Luciano was better at tying braids than he was. He wasn’t sure what Luciano was doing, but he already knew it would outshine the work he did.

“There!” Luciano smiled proudly.

The other had tied his hair into an elaborate French braid. Paradox touched it gingerly, admiring Luciano’s work. “Oh, thank you.”

“This is better than practicing on Jose’s beard.”

Paradox laughed. For all that Luciano acted like a little hellion, he supposed that he was really just a child after all.

 

“Nice hairdo,” Antinomy snickered.

“Shut up,” Paradox said.

“ _I_ think it looks nice,” Z-one added.

"Thanks, Z-one."


	8. yliaster's day off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> antinomy has had enough of research

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is for [vali](http://idlemaster.tumblr.com/)...! (though i don't think this is quite what you had in mind...)

If he had to stare at a screen any longer, he would probably scream. Paradox and Z-one were off into their own little world of numbers and theories, and though Antinomy could follow, it was so incredibly dry. Of course it was important work for saving the world, but those two had a tendency to get so obsessive about their plans.

Meanwhile, Aporia looked even more uncomfortable. Usually he would help them with some of the more hands-on work, but today was mostly researching and analyzing. While the three of them had tried to help Aporia by teaching him the concepts he had missed from school, there was only so much they could teach. Aporia hovered over Paradox and Z-one’s shoulders occasionally before resigning and sitting next to Antinomy.

“You’re getting pretty bored too, huh?” Antinomy asked.

“I wouldn’t say ‘bored’, but yes… It wouldn’t be too bad if it was only today,” Aporia replied, “but now it’s almost been three days and I’m not even sure if those two have slept at all.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised in the least. It’s definitely not the first time they’ve done that.” Antinomy paused for a moment before he said, “Let’s duel to pass the time. How about it?”

“Hmph. My Machine Emperors versus your Tech Genus? I hope you’re prepared for defeat,” Aporia said in one of his rare moments of arrogance. He never could get over the fact that Antinomy used Synchro monsters, but he didn’t blame Aporia. The other had good reason to dislike his deck.

Aporia was a pretty good challenger, he’d give him that. Antinomy was in a pinch, with only a few hundred life points left and some face down cards. He was pretty sure that he had enough counters to survive through Aporia’s attacks but it would be hard to make a turnabout. If only they were doing a riding duel rather than a standing duel, Antinomy could use his Accel Synchro monsters, but it wasn’t a big deal. They were just dueling for fun, after all. 

“What are you two doing?” Paradox asked.

“Having fun without you,” Antinomy said in good humour. 

Paradox crossed his arms. “If you have time to idle around, then why don’t you do something useful?”

“Well, there’s nothing for us to do anyways-”

“Enough, you two,” Z-one interrupted. They were just playfully bantering, but Antinomy knew that Z-one got tired of it very quickly. “Let’s take a break, alright?” he said, mostly directing his words at Paradox.

Paradox didn’t say anything, but he always listened to Z-one. It was kind of funny, how he projected an untouchable aura, but as soon as Z-one said something, he’d drop all airs. Well, he supposed that they were all like that. They all owed an enormous debt to him after all, so it was the least they could do, despite Z-one claiming they owed him nothing.

Z-one walked towards the greenhouse, and the three of them followed him. They’d often gather in the greenhouse for a break. The greenery will improve your mood, Z-one would say. Though Antinomy certainly had to admit, it was a nice change of scenery from the minimalistic architecture of the Ark Cradle and the ashen rubble of the outside world. Inside, it was comfortably warm and the air was sweet. Most of the fruits and vegetables planted were of Z-one’s preference, but as long as he was happy, the rest of them were too. Though they could easily program machines to tend to the plants, Z-one insisted that they do most of the work manually.

“Alright, Paradox will do the weeding, Antinomy will do the pollinating, and Aporia will do the watering.”

“Weeding? Me? But dirt will get in my nails,” Paradox said, scrunching up his nose.

“Just wear gloves,” Antinomy said.

“But it’ll still get in…”

Z-one smiled. “I’ll leave it to you, Paradox.”

Paradox’s single weakness was certainly Z-one’s word. Antinomy laughed as Paradox resigned himself to his fate.

Even though they were working towards a better future, this present wasn’t so bad either. To be able to laugh with his friends despite the times of hardship was a different sort of happiness that he wouldn’t give up for the world.


	9. sweets lala sweets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> apopara: paradox thinks that aporia spends too much money on sweets so he decides to make him a cake. only because it's cheaper. not for any other reason. that would be silly.

“Aporia, what’s your favourite kind of cake?” Paradox asked as he watched the other eat his carrot cake. Usually Aporia inhaled his food, but he seemed to make an exception for desserts.

“They are all equally delicious,” Aporia said in a matter of fact voice.

Paradox smiled. Aporia was always so honest. “But if you had to pick one, what would it be?”

“Well, chocolate cake is sometimes a little too dense, depending on where you buy it, and cheesecake is also just as unpredictable… Hm, sponge cake is good, but plain…” Aporia continued to ramble on before he came to a conclusion. “It must be strawberry shortcake! Yes!”

“Ha ha, that’s right. You love strawberries, don’t you.”

“Of course. Strawberries are tart but sweet, and when paired with sponge cake and whipped cream… It’s the perfect combination!”

“I see,” Paradox said, nodding.

Their coffee dates were quite frequent. Every once in a while, they would go to a different cafe so Aporia could try the different desserts. Paradox wasn’t too fond of sweets, so he usually just had some coffee, but seeing Aporia smile so openly filled him with a deep sense of affection.

If sweets made Aporia so happy, he ought to make him something one of those days. Not that he had much experience in the matter. Paradox wasn’t much of a cook, much less a baker. Antinomy was better at those sorts of things.

“You know, baking is actually easier than cooking,” Antinomy said when Paradox asked for his help. “You just need to follow instructions. It’s like those experiments of yours.”

“I guess. But I don’t have a lot of cooking utensils.”

“So basically you’re implying that you want to borrow my stuff,” he said in a stern voice. “And why should I let you? Haha, just joking. Why didn’t you just ask? You’re always so roundabout with your words.”

He could always count on Antinomy for help, he thought. Paradox thanked Antinomy and ignored his question. Not that Antinomy would have expected him to answer anyways. 

 

Paradox brought the cake over to Aporia’s apartment.

“This is- for you,” Paradox said haltingly. “You don’t have to open it now. But put it in the fridge.”

“Oh! Thank you,” Aporia said. “Can I open it now? And you can come in, if you’d like.”

“Of course. It’s yours now,” he replied, stepping through the doorway.

They walked to the kitchen table, where Aporia opened the box. Inside was the cake, liberally covered in whipped cream and topped with red strawberries. Truth to be told, the cake leaned more to one side than the other, and the whipped cream was unevenly spread. It was presentable, but obviously homemade.

When Aporia didn’t say anything, Paradox shifted uncomfortably. “It may look a little odd but-”

Aporia scooped him up in a sweeping embrace, catching him off guard. “What are you saying? It looks delicious! Let’s eat it now!”

“Ah… Sure.”

Aporia cheerfully set the table and boiled some water for tea.

“How… How is it?” Paradox asked. He hadn’t tried any himself, afraid that he would taste the shame of failure.

“Great! Better than any other that I’ve tried before.”

Now, Paradox wasn’t sure if the other was being honest or not. He probably was, because it wasn’t in his nature to lie, but he couldn’t help but doubt his words. The only way to confirm Aporia’s intentions was to eat the cake, he supposed.

Too much whipped cream. That was his first thought. Not enough strawberries. But the cake itself was fine. In fact, it was more than fine. Paradox couldn’t help but utter countless prayers to Antinomy in his head. He owed the success to him. If he made it himself… He thought back to how much Antinomy lectured him on the importance of beating the eggs and shuddered.

“Not that I’m ungrateful,” Aporia said, “not at all, but… What’s the occasion for this?” he asked, gesturing at the cake.

“Nothing in particular,” Paradox said. “Just-” ...to tell you how much you mean to me. “Because I think that those cakes you buy are overpriced.”

Aporia laughed. “Really? Thank you. I wouldn’t mind if you made cakes more often.”

“Yes, ‘really’,” he replied. “Don’t expect it to be such a regular occasion,” he said, more to cover up his own embarrassment than anything else. He always managed to say rude things when he didn’t mean to.

After he helped Aporia put the dishes away, Aporia pressed a chaste kiss to his forehead.

“And what’s the occasion for this?” Paradox asked.

“No reason.”

“You said that on purpose, didn’t you.”

“Maybe.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **bonus** :  
> para: which do you like more, me or sweets?  
> apo: (immediately) you of course!!!  
> para: !!!!!


	10. fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> paradox has a certain irrational fear and asks for aporia's help

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hmu with yliaster requests yo

“Aporia. I need your help,” Paradox said. His sudden entry to his room was completely unexpected, but was by no means unwelcome. 

“My help…? With what?” he asked. Not only did Paradox barely ever enter his room of his own volition, but he so rarely asked for help as well.

“Ah, can you come to my room? It’s easier to explain there.”

Aporia couldn’t help but become very curious. Something about the situation was so unfamiliar to him. Then again, because Paradox was such a prideful person, maybe he preferred the comfort of his room. He could understand that. There were, after all, many things that Paradox did that he would consider peculiar, but they were all with good reason. And despite that, he loved his friend anyways. He followed Paradox to his room.

Paradox punched in the code to his room on the keypad. Meanwhile, Aporia racked his brains trying to predict the problem. Paradox did seem rather frazzled, no matter how much he was trying to hide it with cold indifference. Otherwise, why would he even ask Aporia for help? It must have been a very serious problem, Aporia concluded.

“Where was that thing…” Paradox mumbled to himself.

“What are you looking for?”

“You’ll see.” His eyes scanned the room before staring very intently at a certain black dot on the wall. “T-that over there,” he said, pointing to it. “Please… do something about it.”

Upon closer inspection, Aporia could clearly see that it was but a small, harmless spider, barely larger than the head of a nail. Was this what had frightened level-headed Paradox? Aporia had to stifle a laugh. He also had his irrational fears, but he didn’t expect Paradox to be scared of spiders. For all his talk of logic and reason, Paradox was only human too.

“Don’t laugh at me.”

“Sorry, Paradox. I’m not laughing at you, I swear,” Aporia said. 

The other man pouted, which was equally as uncharacteristic of him, but all the more endearing.

Aporia took a napkin in hand and tried to gently capture the spider. He opened the window and let it out. “There you go,” he said.

“Mm, thank you.” After a moment of pause, Paradox spoke up again. “And of course you’d let it go, even though killing it would be easier.”

“All life is precious,” Aporia said, “especially in these circumstances.”

“You’re too soft. ...But that’s not a bad thing.”

He was calling Aporia soft even though he was the one afraid of a single spider…? He didn’t voice his thoughts, but he couldn’t help but smile inwardly.


	11. rainy day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tinopara: it’s pouring outside but paradox forgets his umbrella, so he stays at antinomy’s place instead. college au.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nothing happens in this.... just like the usual. only has the slightest flavour of tinopara lmao  
> got the prompt "it's just rain, you aren't gonna melt!" from [here](https://prompt-bank.tumblr.com/post/143272225898/drabble-challenge-1-150).

When Paradox left the physics building, he felt something cold hit his cheek. It was more spitting than raining, but he was not particularly pleased. Sooner or later, the rain would get worse. He walked to the station as quickly as he could, hoping Antinomy would be there soon. The two of them had arranged to meet after class, if only because they both had to take the same train home anyways.

“Looks like it did end up raining,” Antinomy greeted him. His smile was as dazzling as always.

“I’m not looking forward to walking home,” Paradox replied dejectedly. He hadn’t checked the weather forecast before leaving his apartment like the fool he was, so he didn’t have an umbrella handy.

“Isn’t your apartment pretty far from where you get off the bus? Why don’t you come to my place instead?”

“If you’ll have me.”

“Of course! I invited you, didn’t I?”

With that, the two of them rode the bus to Antinomy’s apartment. Paradox looked out of the window with dread, as the rain seemed to fall harder as time went on. His only consolation was that he wouldn’t have to walk in it for quite as long as if he were to go home.

As soon as they got off the bus, Paradox started walking with brisk strides. The only thing that was stopping from a full dash was that he didn’t know exactly how to get to Antinomy’s place.

“Hey, wait up,” Antinomy said as he tried to catch up to him.

“Let’s hurry out of this rain, please.” Paradox said.

“It’s just rain, you aren't gonna melt!” Antinomy said. However, Paradox was indeed melting. Or rather, his eyeliner was running.

Paradox simply glared at him.

“Okay, okay, fine.” Antinomy held his hands up in surrender. Then, he started running ahead of Paradox and shouted, “Can you keep up with my Delta Accel?”

“You’re so childish!” Paradox shouted back, having trouble matching his pace.

They finally arrived at Antinomy’s apartment, thoroughly soaked and rather cold. Antinomy’s hair fell in front of his face, hair gel washed out by the rain. Paradox also looked rather pitiable, with his makeup running and his hair equally a mess. They laughed at each other’s state of disarray.

“The washroom’s just around the corner, if you want to clean up a bit. You can borrow some of my clothes too.” Antinomy said.

“Sure, thanks,” Paradox said as he headed towards the washroom.

Thankfully, the two of them were about the same size, so Antinomy’s clothes fit him perfectly. However, he would probably die from embarrassment if anyone other than Antinomy saw him wearing this style of clothing. While Antinomy could pull off the sporty look perfectly fine, Paradox felt a bit ridiculous in it.

“I made hot chocolate,” Antinomy said. “Why don’t you have some?”

Paradox accepted the mug from him. He blew at its surface, waiting for it to cool. The warmth that radiated off the mug was relieving and comforting.

The two of them spent their time catching up with each other’s lives, talking of things with little significance. As always, there was a _certain_ professor that Paradox could not tolerate, and he complained about him to Antinomy nearly every time they saw each other. Antinomy, on the other hand, liked to recount particularly interesting things that he heard in class. Though they could have spent the time doing something productive like studying, Paradox was much happier that he could enjoy the rare moments that he could see his friend.

Perhaps from the cold rain, perhaps because of the hot chocolate, or perhaps because of something else that Paradox didn’t want to name, his cheeks felt warm and his chest was tight with an indescribable emotion. Though the rain had let up and dusk had started to fall, Paradox was reluctant to go back home. However, he thanked Antinomy once again for his hospitality and bade him goodbye.

As ridiculous as it was, Paradox was already starting to miss him by the time he shut the door. Trying to ignore the silly ideas his head was feeding him, he did his best to turn his thoughts towards anticipation for their next meeting.


	12. birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a ten year old johnny tries to find a birthday present for his little sister misaki

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had this done for a really long time (like two years or something) but it's extremely... childish. since it's been 3 million years since I last wrote something, I figured I might as well put it out there lol. actually it was supposed to build up to something else I wanted to write but.......

There were only a few days before it was Misaki’s birthday, and Johnny was at a loss. What kind of present should he get for her? She was only three years younger than him, but he was _ten_ , in his double digits, and she was turning seven. They both had totally different interests!

“What should I get her?” he asked his mother, hoping to come up with ideas, at least.

“She’s been getting into Duel Monsters just like you. Maybe you should get her some cards?”

“But Mom, I don’t even know what kind of deck she has. What if she doesn’t like the cards I get her?”

“Then you can just get her a booster pack, no?”

“What if she doesn’t get any good cards in there?” He had to pick her the perfect present. He could accept nothing less!

“Well, I guess you should think of something else, Johnny.”

It was worth a try, asking his mother for ideas. But he was still as unsure about Misaki’s present as before.

If he couldn’t come up with an idea for a gift, he could at least try to make a card in the meantime. Her favourite colour, he was pretty sure, was yellow, so he picked some yellow paper out of his stack of construction paper.

“Happy Birthday Misaki” he wrote in a bold black marker, trying to make the letters on the cover neat and equally sized, but failing for the most part. For good measure, he wrote “omedetou” underneath in kana. He opened the card to write a message, but stopped.

“If I don’t know what I’m going to get her, then how do I know what to write in the card?” he asked himself. Resigned to the fact that this was all that he could get done that day, Johnny hid the card in his desk.

The next day, Johnny tried to get information from his sister, while trying to be as subtle as possible. Unfortunately, subtlety was one thing that escaped the young boy.

“Say, Misaki,” he started, dragging out his words. “What’s your favourite kind of… food?”

“…Curry.”

“Really? Ha ha ha, what would you do if someone gave that to you? Curry roux, as a gift.”

“Are you trying to ask something?”

Was she on to him? “Uh… no, of course not.”

“My birthday is in two days.” Yep. She knew. He had to get away immediately.

“Yeah, I knew that already! Gosh.” And with that, he ran out of the room.

Plan one, asking his mother, was a failure. Plan two, asking Misaki, was a failure. He had to initiate plan three… Of which he had yet to formulate.

“If there’s nothing you can think of, Johnny, then help me clean downstairs,” his mother told him.

“Fine…” he said reluctantly, pouting.

Johnny started to put away his toys into boxes, and even put away some of Misaki’s.

“Just cleaning up her stuff should be a present to her,” he murmured out of frustration. Though once he heard himself say it, he realized that he did still want to get her the best present possible.

So back to cleaning it was. He hadn’t realized he had so many toys that he didn’t play with anymore… And that there was a shiny necklace hidden underneath one of his toy cars?!

“Mom! Mom! I found a necklace!”

“Oh my, thank you Johnny. I’ve been looking for this for quite a while. Where did you find it?”

“With my toys!”

“Ha ha, I should have known. Could you please help me put it on?”

“Sure.” He fastened the clip for his mother with a little bit of difficulty. “There!”

“Thank you, Johnny,” she said, and smiled.

“Wow Mom, it looks really pretty!”

“You know, I just had an idea. Why don’t you get your sister a necklace too?”

“But the only ones I can afford look cheap.”

“You can just make her one, dear. I’m sure she would appreciate it much more.”

“That’s a good idea! Thanks, Mom!”

He easily found some string in their box of craft supplies, but he didn’t know what kind of pendant to attach. The beads in their box were too small to use alone, but none of them would colour coordinate with each other so that he could string a handful of them together.

“I know!” he exclaimed, and dug through the neat pile that he just made of his toys. He remembered there being an odd piece of plastic that didn’t seem to fit with any of the toy sets. It was just there in the pile, serving no purpose.

When he looked at it sideways, he thought that the piece looked vaguely like a heart. He’d just need to trim the edges a little with a knife. His parents didn’t exactly trust him with a retractable knife really, but what they didn’t know couldn’t hurt them right? As long as he didn’t get himself hurt, it would be fine. There wasn’t much to cut, anyways. Just a little bit from the sides, and a hole to thread the string through.

Johnny admired his work before he realized that the colour was somewhat bland. It was faded in odd spots, which was certainly not what he wanted to present to his sister. He wanted the necklace to be perfect and shiny, just like his mother’s. He got some help from his father to use the air spray, and it turned out a pale metallic pink.

“I finally got it! The perfect gift!” That night, he fell asleep with no worries.

In the morning, Johnny diligently worked on wrapping the necklace so that he wouldn’t forget. He placed it inside a small box that he found in the house, and sealed it inside a bag, along with the card he had made. Misaki’s birthday was the next day! He couldn’t wait for her to see the necklace.

The seven candles on the shortcake were lit up and Misaki made her silent birthday wish as she blew out the flames.

“It’s present time! Open mine first, okay Misaki?” Johnny said enthusiastically, almost shoving the gift in her face.

Misaki opened the bag silently, and pulled out the box first. “A necklace.” It was hard to know if she was either really disappointed or pleased.

“Well, I thought about getting Duel Monster cards, but I didn’t know what cards you want, and I didn’t want to get you the _wrong_ ones, so-”

Misaki pulled him into a tight hug. “Thank you, big bro,” she said, and smiled.

“I’m so glad you like it! I made it, you know. There’s a card too!”

“Happy birthday Misaki,” she read aloud. “…But there’s nothing inside.”

“What?! Ah! I was so busy trying to get you a gift that I forgot to write something in the card… I’m so sorry…” And here he thought he would give her the perfect present...

“That’s just like you, silly Johnny. Thanks for the present. I really like it.”

“B-but I…”

“I do like it! Really!” She gave him a peck on the cheek. “And for the record, I have an Electrikiss deck, silly.”

Maybe it wasn’t the perfectly planned birthday that Johnny had envisioned for his sister, but it was close enough.


End file.
